BAY AREA / BART, Caltrain greet 2006 by increasing riders' fares / Commuters unhappy that cost of public transit going up again

BARTSFO_041_LH.JPG
Two years after the biggest expansion in BART history, ridership on the Peninsula is so far below projections that service has been reduced, and some commuters are finding that Caltrain's Baby Bullets give them more for their buck. At the Millbrae Bart station is also Caltrain.
Photographed by Liz Hafalia on 6/21/05 in Millbrae, {State less

BARTSFO_041_LH.JPG
Two years after the biggest expansion in BART history, ridership on the Peninsula is so far below projections that service has been reduced, and some commuters are finding that Caltrain's ... more

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BARTSFO_041_LH.JPG
Two years after the biggest expansion in BART history, ridership on the Peninsula is so far below projections that service has been reduced, and some commuters are finding that Caltrain's Baby Bullets give them more for their buck. At the Millbrae Bart station is also Caltrain.
Photographed by Liz Hafalia on 6/21/05 in Millbrae, {State less

BARTSFO_041_LH.JPG
Two years after the biggest expansion in BART history, ridership on the Peninsula is so far below projections that service has been reduced, and some commuters are finding that Caltrain's ... more

BAY AREA / BART, Caltrain greet 2006 by increasing riders' fares / Commuters unhappy that cost of public transit going up again

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Commuters who ride BART and Caltrain will start the new year by paying higher fares.

Beginning Sunday, BART will raise fares by 3.7 percent and add surcharges for certain trips. Caltrain will boost its base fare, but not its zone charges, by 5.6 percent.

Caltrain's fare hike will bring a 25-cent rise in the price of a ride. For BART riders, the increases will vary depending upon the trip distance but will add 20 cents to the average one-way fare paid by passengers, according to BART officials.

"It will cost an extra 15 cents to 30 cents per ticket for most riders," said BART spokesman Jim Allison.

The average BART fare, currently $2.51, will increase to $2.70.

Word of the increases got a chilly reception from commuters at the 12th Street Station in Oakland earlier this week. Some said they disliked the seemingly constant price hikes for public transit, while others said transportation costs take a big bite out of their incomes.

"I'm unemployed right now, so yeah, it's a big deal for me," said Anthony Ainsworth, 25, who does not own a car and relies on BART and his bicycle to get around. He said he spends between $15 and $20 weekly on BART fares. "I think any increase in fares sucks."

Tony Simms, 38, and his brother, Garfield Simms, 32, who both ride BART to Oakland from their home in Brentwood, said it seems BART is constantly raising fares.

"I hadn't heard about it. I think it's outrageous," said Tony Simms.

BART's increase, the first in two years, follows a policy adopted by transit district directors in 2003 to impose fare hikes every other year from 2006 through 2012. Those increases are based on the Consumer Price Index minus 0.5 percent. BART directors chose to levy small regular increases rather than delaying increases, often for political reasons, before adopting large fare hikes.

In addition to the regular fare increase, BART also is imposing a 10-cent surcharge on each trip. San Mateo County is also adding a 10-cent surcharge on any BART trip that begins and ends in the county as well as on trips between the five Peninsula extension stations -- Millbrae, San Francisco International Airport, San Bruno, South San Francisco and Colma -- and stations in San Francisco.

BART officials project that the fare increases will raise $4.4 million for the last six months of the fiscal year that ends June 30.

The minimum fare will rise from $1.25 to $1.40 for short trips. The cost of a ride from Pittsburg/Bay Point to Millbrae -- at 52 miles, the system's longest -- will increase from $6.05 to $6.30. The costliest ride -- from Pittsburg/Bay Point to SFO -- will climb from $7.45 to $7.65.

Riders can find out how much the new fares will cost them by going to www.bart.gov, using the trip planner and designating a date after Jan. 1. New fare and schedule brochures are also available at BART stations.

Caltrain's fare increase is the second of a two-part boost approved by the commuter railroad's board to cope with a budget deficit that has grown worse as fuel prices have increased. The increase is expected to raise $600,000 in the last six months of the fiscal year. New Caltrain schedules with updated fares will be released soon. Train times are not changing.